Pat Cummins out of T20 series against India

Kolkata: Australian pacer Pat Cummins will skip the three-match Twenty20 series against India next month as he will head back home after the ongoing ODIs to prepare for the Ashes later this year.

Cummins will fly back to Australia after the fifth and final one-dayer of the series on October 1 in Nagpur, Cricket Australia said in a statement. Australia are currently trailing 0-2 in the series after losing in Chennai and Kolkata. Cummins' replacement for the T20 series, scheduled from October 7 to 13, will be named at a later date. Cummins will be playing in the Sheffield Shield season after returning home.

“Pat has played a considerable amount of cricket this year after a long period away from the game due to injury,” national selector Trevor Hohns said.

“His body has handled the return to international cricket well, but we believe the best plan for him ahead of the Ashes Series is to return home to refresh, both mentally and physically,” he added. The 24-year-old has 23 Twenty20 International wickets to his credit.